Auger type ice making machine

Abstract

In an auger type ice making machine, an ice breaker mounted on an upper shaft portion of the auger includes a plurality of ice breaker elements adapted to be coaxially coupled as a unit, the breaker elements each having a circular body portion formed with a plurality of circumferentially equally spaced blades which extend radially outwardly at a predetermined angle, and the blades of the respective breaker elements being formed to be aligned at their lower edges in a condition where the breaker elements have been coaxially coupled at their body portions. The body portions of the breaker elements are connected to each other in such a manner that the blades of the breaker elements are circumferentially equally spaced at a selected angle.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An auger type ice making machine including an evaporator housing having an internal cylindrical freezing surface on which ice crystals are formed, an auger rotatably mounted within said evaporator housing and being formed with a helical blade for scraping the ice crystals off said internal freezing surface and advancing the ice crystals toward an upper end of said evaporator housing, an extrusion head formed with a plurality of ice extruding passages and being positioned in place within the upper end portion of said evaporator housing to rotatably support an upper shaft portion of said auger, and an ice breaker mounted on the upper shaft portion of said auger for rotation therewith and being positioned above said extrusion head for breaking the rods of ice extruded upwardly from said ice extruding passages into pieces of relatively hard flake ice, wherein said ice breaker comprises a plurality of ice breaker elements adapted to be coaxially coupled as a unit, said breaker elements each having a circular body portion formed with a plurality of circumferentially equally spaced blades which extend radially outwardly at a predetermined angle, said blades of said respective breaker elements being formed to be aligned at their lower edges in a condition where said breaker elements have been coaxially coupled at their body portions, and means for connecting said body portions of said breaker elements to each other in such a manner that said blades of said breaker elements are circumferentially equally spaced at a selected angle.   
     
     
       2. An auger type ice making machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said blades of said respective breaker elements are rectangular.